30 Irish Funeral Songs, from Danny Boy to The Parting Glass

What is the most popular Irish funeral song?

"Danny Boy" is the most requested Irish funeral song, sung to the old melody known as the Londonderry Air. "The Parting Glass" is the traditional farewell song, often sung at the end of the wake, and "Be Thou My Vision" is the favorite Irish hymn for the funeral Mass.

Traditional Irish funeral songs

1. "Danny Boy", traditional: lyrics by Frederic Weatherly set to the Londonderry Air.
2. "The Parting Glass", traditional: a toast and a goodbye, sung at the end of the night.
3. "Carrickfergus", traditional: a longing for home, sung slowly.
4. "She Moved Through the Fair", traditional: a haunting old love song.
5. "Red Is the Rose", traditional: a gentle song of lost love.
6. "The Last Rose of Summer", Thomas Moore: an 1805 poem about the last bloom of a season.
7. "Down by the Salley Gardens", W.B. Yeats: a poem set to a traditional air.
8. "Siúil a Rún", traditional: a lament sung in Irish and English.
9. "Will Ye Go, Lassie, Go?", traditional: also known as Wild Mountain Thyme.

Irish hymns for a funeral Mass

10. "Be Thou My Vision", traditional Irish hymn: an ancient prayer set to the tune Slane.
11. "Ag Críost an Síol", Seán Ó Riada: a beautiful hymn in Irish.
12. "Hail Glorious Saint Patrick", traditional hymn: a favorite in Irish parishes.
13. "An Irish Blessing", traditional: the old blessing for a safe road, set to music.
14. "You Raise Me Up", Secret Garden: with lyrics by Irish writer Brendan Graham.

Irish ballads about home and leaving

15. "The Isle of Innisfree", Dick Farrelly: the theme from The Quiet Man.
16. "The Fields of Athenry", Pete St. John: a song about the Famine, sung at every Irish gathering.
17. "Grace", Frank and Seán O'Meara: the love story of Grace Gifford and Joseph Plunkett.
18. "Raglan Road", Luke Kelly: Patrick Kavanagh's poem sung to an old air.
19. "Galway Bay", Bing Crosby: an emigrant's dream of the west of Ireland.
20. "The Mountains of Mourne", Percy French: homesick in a big city.
21. "The Town I Loved So Well", Phil Coulter: a song about growing up in Derry.
22. "Spancil Hill", traditional: an emigrant dreams of home.
23. "Song for Ireland", Phil Colclough: a gentle love song to the country.
24. "Isle of Hope, Isle of Tears", Brendan Graham: about the first emigrant through Ellis Island.
25. "Thousands Are Sailing", The Pogues: the Irish story in America.

Songs for an Irish wake

26. "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling", traditional: for celebrating a life well lived.
27. "Molly Malone", traditional: Dublin's unofficial anthem.
28. "A Pair of Brown Eyes", The Pogues: a bittersweet pub song.
29. "The Irish Rover", The Dubliners and The Pogues: a rollicking singalong.
30. "The Wild Rover", traditional: everyone joins the chorus.

What happens at an Irish wake?

A traditional Irish wake is held in the family home or a funeral home the night before the funeral. Friends and neighbors come to pay their respects, share stories and keep the family company, and there is often food, drink and music late into the night. Someone usually sings a slow air, and the evening may end with "The Parting Glass".

Where Irish funeral songs fit in the day

At the funeral Mass, hymns like "Be Thou My Vision" and "Ag Críost an Síol" are sung during the service, and "Danny Boy" or "The Isle of Innisfree" are often played or sung at the end. At the graveside, a lone singer or piper may perform a slow air. The ballads and wake songs belong to the gathering afterward. Check with the priest first, since some parishes only allow sacred music during Mass.

Songs for a mother, father or grandparent

For a mother, the old ballad "A Mother's Love's a Blessing" is a favorite at Irish funerals. For a father, "Danny Boy" and "The Town I Loved So Well" are often chosen, and for a grandparent who emigrated, "Isle of Hope, Isle of Tears" and "Galway Bay" honor the journey they made. See our songs about losing your mom, funeral songs for dad and funeral songs for grandma for more.

Irish funeral songs in America

In the United States, these songs are often requested by families whose ancestors left Ireland generations ago. Playing "Danny Boy" or "The Fields of Athenry" is a way to honor those roots, even when no one in the family has been to Ireland.

Bagpipes and instrumental music

Many Irish and Irish-American funerals include a piper, especially for police officers, firefighters and veterans. "Amazing Grace" and "Danny Boy" are the most requested tunes on the pipes, and a tin whistle or fiddle playing a slow air is just as moving in a small church.

More funeral songs

For Catholic hymns, see our Catholic funeral songs. For a broader list, see our funeral songs and celebration of life songs, and for happier Irish music, our Irish wedding songs.

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